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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · coach · field · branch · pitch · key · rush · leaves

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rock — a stone
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. field — farmland
  23. key — in music
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com